Destination manager to travel agency manager
A destination manager already meets 62% of what the travel agency manager role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.6/ 100
1 How much of what a travel agency manager is expected to do is already part of a destination manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the travel agency manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A travel agency manager role treats 22 of its required skills as things a destination manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply strategic thinking
- build a network of suppliers in tourism
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- coordinate operational activities
- create annual marketing budget
- engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A travel agency manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a destination manager background worth leading with.
- already held tourist resources of a destination for further development services
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held self-service technologies in tourism information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas information skills
- already held develop working procedures management skills
- already held create annual marketing budget management skills
All 33 carried skills, including the 22 the travel agency manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- still to learn maximise sales revenues required
- still to learn negotiate supplier arrangements required
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held promote the use of sustainable transport optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- still to learn oversee all travel arrangements required
- still to learn prepare travel packages required
- still to learn motivate staff to reach sales targets required
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- still to learn conduct search engine optimisation required
- still to learn use global distribution system required
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- still to learn seek innovation in current practices required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a travel agency manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 identify customer's needs practise this
- 02 implement sales strategies practise this
- 03 oversee all travel arrangements practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 33 skills that carry over
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism skill
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held coordinate operational activities skill
- already held create annual marketing budget skill
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- already held geographical areas relevant to tourism knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
- already held measure customer feedback skill
- already held perform market research skill
- already held plan digital marketing skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held set up pricing strategies skill
- already held supervise crew skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held tourist resources of a destination for further development knowledge
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held develop inclusive communication material skill
- already held develop working procedures skill
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- already held train employees skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held promote the use of sustainable transport optional
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
24 held skills the travel agency manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess an area as a tourism destination skill
- not needed by the target role build a strategic marketing plan for destination management skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate efforts of stakeholders for destination promotion skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate public-private partnerships in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role deliver presentations on tourism skill
- not needed by the target role design press kit for media skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategies for accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role develop tourist information materials skill
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role lead the brand strategic planning process skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage distribution of destination promotional materials skill
- not needed by the target role manage production of destination promotional materials skill
- not needed by the target role manage yield skill
- not needed by the target role market analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role measure sustainability of tourism activities skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the design of touristic publications skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the printing of touristic publications skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role report touristic facts skill
- not needed by the target role sales strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role select optimal distribution channel skill
Common questions about this move
Can a destination manager become a travel agency manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A destination manager already covers 62% of what a travel agency manager is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 22 of which the travel agency manager role treats as required.
What skills does a destination manager need to become a travel agency manager?
14 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is identify customer's needs.
How hard is the move from destination manager to travel agency manager?
Its learning distance is 48.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.